Tuesday, October 1, 2013

10 Ways to Give Back

I am taking a break out of my usual Wednesday review to say that although I support every product I have written about one of the most important things in a child's life is how that child is raised. You can buy them a million items but those millions of items mean less to that child than just one hour of your time.
Many parents do not always know what to do with their children. They get tired of always doing children activities. One activity that you both can do that is something that can even make you a better person is by giving back to your local community. There are many ways you can give back to your local community, and teaching your children the importance of helping others helps your children develop empathy and compassion. They also see how they can make a difference in the world.

Here are ten easy ways to give back to your local community that are great to do as a family.

1) Donate old clothes to your local good will or to a family in need. Who does not need more closet space? This is a great activity where everyone can get rid of all the old clothes that do not fit them any longer.

2) Volunteer, there are many places you and the family can volunteer not just regularly. Sometimes you can even just volunteer for a day or for a few hours. This can be a fun activity. Think about it, instead of spending money at the mall you take your family to the soup kitchen to serve up meals for the homeless for a few hours. That makes a much bigger impact on your children.

3) Donate old toys to the goodwill or to a family in need. Kids know what toys they do not play with anymore and if you tell them that other children may have no toys, your child will see what an impact giving away toys makes just for at least one child.

4) Help out your local animal shelter. Animal shelters are always in need of things such as food, toys, leashes, and blankets. A great way to help out is to visit your local shelter and ask them in what ways you can help them out. Also, sometimes just spreading the word about adopting pets helps as well.

5) Shop local. Take your kids to your local farmer's market and local stores. This helps out your community immensely and is easy to do all the time.

6) Pick up litter. Visit your community parks and if you see trash laying around pick it up. A good time to help out is usually after holidays when people are barbecuing in parks.

7) Donate money. Believe it or not this is not as hard as many think. You can hold your own fundraiser for your favorite charity. Try doing a car wash, bake sale or what ever your family can do together to raise funds for your favorite charity.

8) Smile. It may sound silly but a simple smile goes a long way, put a pleasant "hello" with it and you may just made someone's day.

9) Hold doors open. This used to be simple etiquette, but unfortunately it is not anymore. However, teaching your children to hold doors for people, and give up their seats for the elderly or sick is something that can make a big impact for them. It teaches them to put others before themselves something that rarely happens in a family dynamic.

10) Watch out for your neighbors. Make a point to be aware of your neighbors. Try to be courteous with noise and parking. Help each other out in times in need. If you know there was a death in your neighbor's family or a new baby send over some food or a gift card for a restaurant or grocery store. Trust me they will appreciate the sentiment.

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